'The Young and the Restless' Star J. Eddie Peck Reveals 'Hardest Thing' About Exit

Yahoo is using AI to generate takeaways from this article. This means the info may not always match what's in the article. Reporting mistakes helps us improve the experience.Generate Key Takeaways

'The Young and the Restless' Star J. Eddie Peck Reveals 'Hardest Thing' About Exit originally appeared on Parade.

The Young and the Restless killed off Cole last week, which means J. Eddie Peck has exited the CBS soap. It turns out the actor was literally the last to know, as he had no idea Cole was going to die.

Peck spoke with Soap Opera Digest regarding his exit. The actor admitted that even though fans knew he was a goner, he had no idea until Head Writer/Executive Producer Josh Griffith told him.

🎬SIGN UP for Parade's Daily newsletter to get the latest pop culture news & celebrity interviews delivered right to your inbox🎬

“Lo and behold, the fans and everyone were much smarter than me. Maybe it was just my positive thinking,” he shared with the outlet.

AdvertisementAdvertisement#«R16ekkr8lb2m7nfddbH1» iframe AdvertisementAdvertisement#«R26ekkr8lb2m7nfddbH1» iframe

The actor also admitted that it was emotionally hard to say goodbye this time. Unlike the last time Peck left The Young and the Restless, Cole’s death forced the actor to mourn a character he’d loved for decades.

“It’s like an extension of yourself. But me being a father and having young adult sons, Cole’s almost like a child to me,” Peck spilled.

Peck shared that the final day of filming was emotional, but not for the reason Y&R fans might think. It was leaving Cole behind that proved to be the most challenging thing for the actor.

“It wasn’t that I was leaving the show. The emotion was [because] Cole is going to be no longer. I think that was the hardest thing. He has lived in my heart for a long time, not just [during] the return, but over the years. It was really the loss of Cole and knowing, too, all of the fans and the viewers that love the character, they are going to not see the character anymore. This role meant so much to me,” Peck expressed.

The Young and the Restless star will, of course, miss his co-stars, especially Amelia Heinle (Victoria). Peck strongly feels that Victoria was always the great love of Cole’s life.

AdvertisementAdvertisement#«R1dekkr8lb2m7nfddbH1» iframe AdvertisementAdvertisement#«R2dekkr8lb2m7nfddbH1» iframe

Although Cole has died, fans know that characters can return in various ways on soaps, i.e., as ghosts or back from the dead. Peck is on board for a return, and that’s not all. The actor’s holding out hope he will land at another soap, and we do, too.

Right now, Peck remains focused on his animal rescue as he closes the Cole chapter in his life.

The Young and the Restless airs weekdays on CBS.

'The Young and the Restless' Star J. Eddie Peck Reveals 'Hardest Thing' About Exit first appeared on Parade on Jul 7, 2025

This story was originally reported by Parade on Jul 7, 2025, where it first appeared.